Beacon in 60 Seconds:l-r Dave, Abi, Becky & Val

Beacon’s youth team (l-r Dave, Abi, Becky & Val) are all round superstars. They’re relatively new as a team but as you can see there’s already a lot of love here.

Q. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Dave: Teleportation. Boom.

Becky: Why teleportation?

Dave: Because that whole idea of travelling – you know when you’ve got to get home from work and you just want to get there… Travel is a waste of time!

Becky: I think I’d fly. Because you can miss all the traffic…

Dave: Teleportation allows you to do all of that!

Becky: Yeah but… Yeah…

Dave: You can fly, I’ll just beat you there!

Abi: I’d be like Flash – I’d be really strong and really quick.

Dave: Is Flash strong?

Abi: Yeah, he’s pretty strong!

Dave: Val’s already strong!

Val: Looks can be deceiving!

Val: The thing that came to my mind is you know the movie ‘What Women Want’ by Mel Gibson? I like the idea of being able to tell what people are going through and what they’re thinking so that I can help them.

Dave: Oh you’re so holy! I thought you were going to say ‘I want to be what women want’!

Val: Ok plus that, but mainly to be able to discern where they’re at and what they’re going through so I can help people!

Abi: And so you know what women want!

Q. If you could be an Olympic athlete, what sport would you compete in?

Abi: I’d definitely be Ussain Bolt!

Becky: In and out.

Dave: 100 meters.

Abi: Yeah, 100, 200, 400. I’d do it all.

Becky: I might go for someone like Steve Redgrave – rowing – he just won all those gold medals. I just want to win.

Dave: For me it’s diving, I’ve got the body for it you know what I mean!

[laughter]

Dave: I’ll be pulling in the viewers!

Abi: ‘He defies all odds’

Dave: You get marks for not making a splash don’t you. I reckon I could dive from a great height and not make a splash!

Becky: I think we’ve got a challenge here! Next youth meeting?!

Val: I’d say football actually. And I’d be really good at it; my team isn’t doing so well at the moment. I support Arsenal, so I’d help them out. It hurts me to see them lose.

Q. What is your favourite crisp flavour?

Dave: Prawn cocktail.

Becky: Salt and vinegar

Dave: Prawn cocktail - there’s literally no comparison.

Becky: Well no - salt and vinegar. And there are so many different varieties – you can get the posh ones, the not so posh ones… and the other day I found a £5 note in a packet of salt and vinegar crisps!

Dave: I’d complain! I bought a packet of crisps and there’s money in there!

Abi: Sensations sweet chilli

All: Mmm, good choice!

Val: I like smoked barbecue. Do Pringles count as crisps?

Q. Do you have a favourite worship band or artist?

Becky: I really like Brooke Fraser, she’s got a really nice voice.

Dave: Never heard of her.

Becky: It’s not your scene Dave!

Becky: And Sam Cox who performs at Newday, he’s really good.

Dave: I like Rend Collective because they do ye-ha songs and we don’t have enough ye-ha songs in our lives.

Abi: My favourite Christian album is the White Album by Hillsong. It’s quite trance-y.

Val: I like Worship Central, they’re really good, their music touches my soul.

Q. What kind of phone did you first have?

Becky: Nokia 3310

Dave: I literally have no idea

Abi: Mine was 52 face off! Oh no, it was a Motorola, my boyfriend at the time gave it to me and I had to hide it from my parents!

Dave: I had my brothers old phone but I don’t remember what it was, it was absolute rubbish – it didn’t even have snake on it!

Val: My first phone was a Samsung – one of the flip ones.

Q. What made you want to be a youth leader?

Dave: I didn’t want to be one!

[laughter]

Abi: My answer is so cheesy – it was Dave!

Becky: Oh that’s beautiful!

Dave: That’s nice. Do you want to elaborate on that?!

Abi: Yeah, because I thought to myself ‘Dave’s quite individual’. With young people, sometimes you think ‘do they like me?’ ‘Do they think I’m a bit of a disciplinarian?’ ‘Should I be a bit of a chameleon?’ But Dave’s just himself. He knows he just has to worship the Lord and put the Lord out there and then they’ll come - and I realised: ‘Hey, I can put the Lord out there too!’ So, I went to Newday and now I’m doing this.

Val: I made so many mistakes as a youth and that was because I didn’t have a good role model – someone a little older that could tell me the truth about how to live my life in a positive way. Because of the mistakes I made, and seeing the youth now, I think it’s important to be able to pass on the little I know. I’m not the best youth leader – I’m learning from Dave - but I think it’s an opportunity to help them to find the road that God has planned for them.

Becky: I think it’s always been a sense that this is where God wants me to serve and be involved.

Abi: Oh yeah, that too!

Becky: Whenever I’ve done youth work it just feels right.

Dave: For me it’s… I just love them! That’s pretty much it! I can’t describe how much I love them! So, I couldn’t do anything else.

Val: Do you just love black youths?!

Dave: I think over time I’ve realised that God has put Africa on my heart. I think that’s to do with the school I was in and the kids that I know. And I’ve just realised over time that when I keep talking about Jesus, God does stuff - so I keep talking about Jesus. But I just love them; they’re family. And it’s the whole idea of discipleship. I’ve seen so many people give their lives to Jesus and then they live what seems like an eternal life of struggle and they never get anywhere because they’re not discipled. It’s more fulfilling to see someone else grow, than you growing yourself.

Dave: I just want to say as well that this team is amazing. Often, I get the plaudits – Dave and his boys etc. but Becky opened her house for a year so we could meet there. All three of them are so dedicated – I get time off work in the summer because I’m a teacher but they have to give up their annual leave to be at Newday. The kids feel so at home with you all. Well done!